United States Mint Releases U.S. Navy 2.5 Ounce Silver Medal

Mar 9, 2022 | ,

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will open sales for the third release in its United States Armed Forces Silver Medal Program on March 11 at noon EST. The medal honors the U.S. Navy.

Designs featured on this medal are emblematic of the history and mission of the U.S. Navy. The obverse (heads) depicts the U.S. Navy destroyer John Paul Jones cutting through the water while the U.S.S. Constitution sails behind it. An F-18 Hornet formation flies by, leaving smoke trails in the sky, paying honor to both ships. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES NAVY” and “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP,” the latter spoken by mortally wounded Commander James Lawrence to his crew on the U.S.S. Chesapeake during the War of 1812. United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designer Donna Weaver created the design, which was sculpted by United States Mint Medallic Artist Jay M. Kushwara.

The reverse (tails) features a line of sailors manning the rail while the American flag flies in the background. The inscriptions are the Navy’s core values, “HONOR,” “COURAGE,” and “COMMITMENT.” AIP Designer Steve Ferris created the design, which was sculpted by United States Mint Medallic Artist John P. McGraw.

Medals in the Armed Forces Silver Medal Program weigh 2.5 ounces, are two inches in diameter, and are struck in 99.9 percent fine silver. Each medal is encapsulated and packaged in a presentation case, and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from the Mint.

The U.S. Navy Silver Medal is priced at $160. To set up a REMIND ME alert for this product, (product code S20MC), visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/u.s.-navy-2.5-ounce-silver-medal-S20MC.html. To view the Mint’s complete portfolio of medals, please visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/shop/medals/.

Anticipated future releases in the Armed Forces Silver Medal Program include medals honoring the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Space Force.

Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, the United States Mint will not accept and will not honor orders placed prior to the official on-sale date and time of March 11, 2022, at noon EST.

To reduce the risk of employee exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, the Mint’s sales centers are closed until further notice.

GreatCollections Selected as Official Auctioneer of the American Numismatic Association

Mar 9, 2022 | ,

The American Numismatic Association (ANA) has selected GreatCollections Coin Auctions (www.GreatCollections.com) of Irvine, California as the exclusive Official Auctioneer of the ANA. The new three-year contract is effective immediately.

“We are pleased to welcome GreatCollections as the official auction partner of the ANA,” stated Kim Kiick, executive director of the Association. “GreatCollections and its president, Ian Russell, are very supportive of the ANA and its efforts to attract positive attention and attendance at our two annual shows.” (GreatCollections displayed the world’s most valuable rare coin, the legendary 1933 Double Eagle, at the ANA World’s Fair of Money® last year.)

“The Association has been exploring options to change the auction format at our shows,” Kiick explained. “GreatCollections has become a well-known and respected entity in the hobby with its weekly auctions offering thousands of certified coins and paper money. The benefits of this new relationship will be a plus for the Association, collectors, dealers and our shows.”

“We are proud and honored to have this multi-year agreement with the ANA, during these exciting times in numismatics when interest in coins is at an all-time high. And we take this responsibility seriously,” explained Russell. “We founded our business for the collector, and despite our growth, we continue to offer over 1,000 certified coins valued at less than $100 each week in our auctions, alongside coins in all other budgets right up to $1 million-plus.”

“Our firm has experienced unprecedented growth over the past two years, including representing some of the biggest collectors in today’s market. In the past six months alone, we have sold three 1804 Silver Dollars, including the finest known example presented to the Sultan of Muscat that we acquired at last year’s ANA auction for $7.68 million. We have plans in place to greatly expand our presence at each ANA convention, with extensive auction lot viewing and direct marketing of our auctions to ANA members,” said Russell.

The ANA and GreatCollections are encouraging other auction houses to conduct approved auctions in conjunction with the World’s Fair of Money and National Money Show® events.

The twice-annual shows are hosted by the nonprofit American Numismatic Association, which is dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its array of educational and outreach programs.

For more information, call (719) 632-2646 or visit money.org.

Professional Coin Grading Service Authenticates Only Gold Comitia Americana Medal in Private Hands

Mar 9, 2022 |

The 1781 Daniel Morgan Cowpens Medal that has remained elusive for decades. Courtesy of PCGS.

Untraced since 1885, the only remaining privately held gold Comitia Americana medal authorized by the United States Congress has surfaced and will be sold in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries April 4-8 Spring Auction, the Official Auction for the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expo.

The Daniel Morgan at Cowpens medal was initially authorized in March 1781 by the Continental Congress to recognize the valor shown by Gen. Daniel Morgan at the 1781 Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina. It was designed by Augustin Dupre, the French master whose designs for this medal and others, including the Libertas Americana medal, earned him legendary status among the world’s medallic artists. The Morgan medal is generally considered the most beautiful of the Comitia Americana medals, referring to the medals authorized by Congress during the American Revolution. Its artistry inspired the designs of later Congressional Gold Medals struck to honor heroes of the War of 1812.

Morgan’s gold medal was lost in 1818, stolen from a vault during the earliest recorded bank robbery in the history of Pittsburgh. Its owner, Pittsburgh banker and writer Morgan Neville, was Daniel Morgan’s grandson and his oldest male heir. Neville used his national reputation and political connections in a decades-long fight to have the gold medal replaced, enlisting the help of congressmen and even retired President Thomas Jefferson. In 1836, the United States Congress finally authorized a replacement medal, permitting just one to be struck in gold.

The medal authorized by Congress in 1836 is the piece to be offered in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries Spring Auction, struck in 1839 at the Philadelphia Mint and presented in 1841 to Morgan Neville’s son.

It remained in the family until at least 1885. At some point, the medal was acquired by famed financier J.P. Morgan who believed, incorrectly, that Daniel Morgan was his kin. The medal disappeared from view for decades, resurfacing in recent months still in its original box of issue. It has been authenticated by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and graded SP63.

Read the full article → here.

The Royal Mint issues new Britannia coin on International Women’s Day – celebrating women of all ages

Mar 9, 2022 | ,

To celebrate International Women’s Day, The Royal Mint has unveiled a new depiction of Britannia, one of Britain’s oldest and most enduring feminine icons, on a collectable UK coin.

The new design is inspired by Gustav Klimt’s classic 1905 painting ‘The Three ages of Woman’ and features Britannia moving from girlhood to maturity. It is the first time that Britannia has appeared three times on one UK coin, and champions women of all ages as equal. It was created by Italian artist and sculptor, Sandra Deiana and updates a classic theme for modern collectors.

A second design also features in the Britannia range, capturing Britannia’s time-honoured and classical look. Made with pioneering laser technology to incorporate intricate details, this second unique design retains Britannia’s classical appeal, while displaying a modern vision and was developed by Daniel Thorne from The Royal Mint’s Product Design team.

Britannia first appeared on UK coins around 2,000 years ago under the rule of Emperor Hadrian. The Romans depicted Britain as a strong female – a symbol that has endured and continues to grace the nation’s coins today on the circulating £2 and commemorative designs.

The Royal Mint has a strong commitment to gender equality, and in 2018 appointed Anne Jessopp as the first female Chief Executive in its 1,100 year history. It has 50-50 representation on its Executive Board, and is one of a number of companies in the UK to have a gender pay gap which is marginally in favour of women.

Britannia remains one of The Royal Mint’s flagship coin ranges, with new designs released each year for collectors. Last year the collection featured the first depiction of Britannia as a woman of colour on a UK coin as part of commitment to reflecting and celebrating Britain’s diversity.

Claire Maclennan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal said: “Britannia has graced Britain’s coins since Roman times, and is one of the most enduring female icons of our nation. On International Women’s Day we are delighted to unveil an original new design which champions women of all ages as equal. This beautiful new design reflects The Royal Mint’s own commitment to diversity and equality, ensuring women can prosper in all areas of our business and see themselves on the nation’s coins.”

Sandra Deiana, Designer of the Britannia 2022 commemorative coin, said: “I particularly love the Britannia theme – it is the most difficult concept I have faced so far and I will always remain connected to it. No one had harmonised three female representations together. I had to find a way to represent the Britannia icon in three different eras, through the three ages of woman.”

The Royal Mint’s 2022 Britannia collection is available in gold Proof, silver Proof and silver Brilliant Uncirculated editions from The Royal Mint’s website: www.royalmint.com/britannia.

First-Time Display Together of “Big Four” U.S. Coin Rarities At 2022 Central States Convention

Mar 7, 2022 | ,

(Schaumburg, Illinois) March 4, 2022 — Four of the most famous United States rare coins with a combined face value of only $1.16 but insured now for $19 million will be displayed together for the first time at the Central States Numismatic Society convention (www.CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org/convention) in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, April 28-30, 2022.

One of the four great rarities in the upcoming special display is the finest 1804 Draped Bust dollar, the Sultan of Muscat example that has rarely been seen since 1998. The three other coins in the exhibit will be the Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head nickel, the Eliasberg 1894-S Barber dime, and a 1943 bronze Lincoln cent wrong planchet error.

“This incredible display is being arranged by Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections Coin Auctions (www.GreatCollections.com),” said Larry Shepherd, CSNS convention manager.

“The GreatCollections exhibit will be a highlight of our convention, and it will last in collectors’ memories for years. I know, because I had the thrill of viewing the 1804 Sultan of Muscat dollar with Dave Bowers and bidding on it when he brought it to auction in 1999. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel was in my hands during lot viewing for the 1996 Eliasberg auction. Despite the many years that have passed, I can’t forget the thrill of seeing these marvelous rarities in person. Both instances are among the highlight memories of my numismatic life,” stated Shepherd.

“I acquired these ‘Big 4’ coins over the past year on behalf of clients who are now loaning these extraordinary numismatic treasures so they can be together for the first time in public,” explained Russell.

The fabled Class I Original 1804 dollar was presented as a diplomatic gift by U.S. State Department representative Edmund Roberts to the Sultan of Muscat (the capital of Oman) on behalf of President Andrew Jackson in 1835. Graded PCGS PR68 and the finest 1804 dollar, it previously was in the collection of Texas real estate developer D. Brent Pogue.

The 1894-S dime is graded PCGS PR65+ and one of the finest of only nine known examples from the 24 struck that year at the San Francisco Mint. This coin was part of a Bicentennial exhibit in 1976 when it in the legendary collection of Baltimore financier Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. It recently was acquired by Russell from noted Las Vegas collector Bruce Morelan.

The Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of the most famous and coveted rarities in American numismatics with only five examples known. Graded PCGS PR66 CAC and the finest of the five, it also was recently acquired by Russell from Morelan. It is one of only three examples in private hands. The other two 1913 Liberty Head nickels are in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the American Numismatic Association Edward C. Rochette Money Museum.

The 1943 bronze cent is graded PCGS AU58 CAC and previously was in the extensive collection of Texas Rangers baseball team Co-Chairman Bob R. Simpson.

“We thank Ian Russell, GreatCollections, and the owners of these historically significant coins for honoring Central States with this display and giving visiting collectors and dealers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see them together,” stated Shepherd.

Visitors to the 2022 Central States Numismatic Society (www.CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org) convention will find an expanded bourse area with more U.S. and world coin and banknote dealers and more exhibits. A limited number of dealer tables are still available, according to CSNS convention organizers.

Official auctions will be conducted by both Heritage Auctions (www.HA.com) and Legend Rare Coin Auctions (www.LegendAuctions.com) in conjunction with the convention.

Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) is the Official Grading Service for the Central States Numismatic Society. CSNS also is the home show for the Professional Currency Dealers Association (www.PCDAonline.com). The Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org) will conduct a PNG Day on April 27.

The April 27-30, 2022 CSNS show will be at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, 1551 Thoreau Dr., in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois. That state-of-art convention facility and hotel, located only 13 miles from O’Hare International Airport, have been the site of CSNS conventions in recent years.

For additional information, contact CSNS Convention Manager Larry Shepherd at 719-464-8801 or visit www.CentralStatesNumismaticSociety.org/convention.

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